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"When my daughter was born I just realised I wanted her to also share all these feelings. I think it's an amazing way to be.

"So when she was born my wife and I decided Australia would be a wonderful place to raise her.

"Opera Australia has been so supportive and I feel really this is my home. I have worked all around the world and for the first time that I feel that I'm home. I'm working doing what I love and at the same time I found this big family which is Opera Australia."

Torre said he was living in New York when he met Opera Australia artistic director Lyndon Terracini who "was really excited about hearing my voice".

"He invited me to come to Australia, which I did, in 2011," he said.

"My first opera [for Opera Australia] was La Boheme [in 2013] which I sang 23 times in a row. It was a marvellous experience, everyone was really happy and I got some nice reviews.

"So since that moment, to now, I've been working with Opera Australia."

His wife Paula, a Mexican-born musician and lawyer, is intending to apply for Australian citizenship in the middle of this year. Their daughter was actually born in America.

"She was born in the USA but after 15 days she was flying to Australia so I think she's more Aussie than American," he said.

Torre said he had never been tempted to take US citizenship.

"I'm a resident there but I never felt the same as with people here. It's different in Australia," he said.

"It's far away from everywhere else. The system is not corrupt like other countries. It is a peaceful country."

Torre's first visit to Canberra was last November when he sang at Voices in the Forest. He was thrilled to be asked to sing the national anthem at the citizenship ceremony upon his return.

"It's exciting," he said. "When they asked me to do it, 'Yes, of course. It's going to be my honour to do it'."

It will be a flying visit for the star who is in rehearsals for the opera Luisa Miller which will be performed at the Sydney Opera House next month.